Boy Temporarily Barred from School Until Vaccination Dispute Resolved

From CDC National Prevention Information Network

November 15, 2001

In Sparta, N.J., an 11-year-old boy has been barred from attending classes until his parents and school officials resolve a dispute over his lack of a hepatitis B vaccination. Richard and Donna Shaftan are challenging a state ruling requiring some students to be vaccinated for hepatitis B. State Superior Court Judge Kenneth C. MacKenzie on Tuesday denied their request that their son, Zachary, be allowed to return to his sixth grade class at Sparta Middle School. The boy has been kept out of school since Nov. 1, the deadline for him to receive the first of three inoculations. The judge scheduled a hearing for the parents to present additional evidence on Dec. 11. "I'm not against vaccines, but hepatitis B is a junkies' disease. This is really about making money for pharmaceutical companies out there selling products," said Richard Shaftan. Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood products, bodily fluids and needle pricks.

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